Alias Betty is the latest in a recent spate of French thrillers
to arrive on this side of the pond. The movie, based on the novel by Ruth
Rendell, details the lengths that desperate people will go to, in particular
three mothers. Everything revolves around the kidnapping of Jose Novacki
(Alexi Chatrian), and the ensuing media circus. In particular, three mothers
are the focus of adapter/director Claude Miller (Class Trip, Lumiere
and Company). Best-selling author Betty Fisher (Sandrine Kiberlain,
False Servant, Everything's Fine, We're Leaving) recently
moved back to France with her young son after a brief, failed marriage
in the United States. Her mother Margot (Nicole Garcia, Kennedy and
I, After Sex) is in town for some medical tests. She seems
not to care at all that Betty has a child at all, and acts like one herself.
She wants all of Betty's attention and time.

Tragedy strikes when Betty's child dies. This throws her into a deep
depression, and brings out some strange maternal instincts in Margot.
She decides to kidnap young Jose, and bring him back as Betty's new child,
as if one could exchange a child. The entire concept horrifies Betty,
who initially refuses to even acknowledge the child's presence. Eventually,
she warms to the child, only to learn the circumstances surrounding his
appearance. What she doesn't understand is the reaction of Jose's mother
Carole (Mathilde Seigneur, With
A Friend Like Harry, Venus Beauty Institute). On television,
Carole doesn't seem to care much at all.

And this is exactly how she feels in real life. Jose almost seemed like
a nuisance. Her boyfriend Francois (Luck Mervil, Notre-Dame du Paris)
does care for Jose, so it is extremely ironic when he becomes the prime
suspect in his kidnapping, primarily because he is black and because Carole
seems indifferent on defending him. The situation becomes a moral dilemma
for Betty. If she returns the child to his mother, she may be doing the
right thing, but Carole clearly will not raise him well. On the other
hand, if she keeps Jose, Carole is free to live whatever life she wants
and Betty can once again raise a son.

As the movie nears its completion, Miller begins to tie the various threads
together creating a heightened sense of tension. However, it takes a while
for the momentum to start, to the point that Alias Betty begins on a fairly
dull note. Plus, it's hard to root for any of the women because what each
one of them is doing is wrong to a certain degree. Each woman is making
amoral choices, but for Betty this seems out of character. It's puzzling
why she allows the charade to go so far, enough so that it is a little
distracting and nearly breaches the credibility of the film. The way that
her feelings toward Jose also change pretty quickly, with no reason given
as to why she changes her feelings. Alias Betty is also the type
of movie that is exasperating in that it is hard to believe that real
people act like this. If they would only speak to each other or say what's
on their mind, many of the misunderstandings will go away completely,
especially for somebody like Francois. But then, if the misunderstandings
went away, the drama would too.

Mongoose Rates It: Not Bad.

1 hour, 43 minutes, French with English subtitles, Not
Rated but contains language, some violence and sensuality, an easy R.